In-jokes and references/games, TV and movies
⇐ In-jokes and references ---- Blizzard has included many in-jokes and pop-culture references in various forms throughout WoW. Games, TV and Movies AC/DC The dwarven mortar team in Dun Morogh say "I'm T.N.T.! I'm dynamite!" which comes from the AC/DC song "T.N.T." from the High Voltage album. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Finkle's Skinner is listed as property of Finkle Einhorn, alluding the revelation in Ace Ventura "Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is Finkle!" Finkle Einhorn appears after you skin The Beast in Upper Blackrock Spire, and before the Burning Crusade, Finkle's Skinner – which drops from The Beast – was essentially required to skin the hound. Army of Darkness Multiple guns are labelled "Boomstick" of varying degrees, The rough boomstick, precisely calibrated boomstick, and lovingly crafted boomstick and are all references to the line in Army of Darkness: "Now listen up, you primitive screwheads. See this? This... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington." Apocalypse Now Colonel Kurzen in Stranglethorn Vale is based on the character Colonel Kurtz in the popular Vietnam movie Apocalypse Now. Austin Powers There is a cat critter in the new Naxxramas instance named Mr. Bigglesworth. If you kill it, Kel'Thuzad (himself) will yell "No!!! A curse upon you, interlopers! The armies of the Lich King will hunt you down. You will not escape your fate..." apparently he really liked that cat. This is a reference to Dr. Evil's cat of the same name from the Austin Powers movies. The "Curse" is more than likely a reference to Dr. Evil's line "And when Mr. Bigglesworth is upset...people DIE!" Battlestar Galactica Next to the bank in Area 52, there is a goblin engineer named Xyrol. This is a reference to Galen Tyrol, the chief of the deck on the Battlestar Galactica. Blue Oyster Cult There is a quest in Netherstorm(Outland) to return a cow bell to a cow named Bessy and then following an escort quest back to it's owner. The quest name is (starts from Thadell) then starts a quest called escort, which refers to a scene from Saturday Night Live starring Christopher Walken repeatedly "asking for more cowbell". Bring it On T'shu in Sporeggar located on the west side of Zangarmarsh will give you a quest once you have achieved a certain reputation level with Sporeggar and are level 63 or higher. The quest is entitled "Oh, It's On!", an evident reference to a highly popular line in the movie Bring it On. Captain America The Paladin Talent Avenger's Shield is a reference to Captain America (who is a member of the superhero group known as The Avengers), and his ability to ricochet his shield off of multiple targets and return to him. Close Encounters of the Third Kind Innkeeper Remi Dodoso's name in Area 52 spells out the notes 'Re' 'Mi' 'Do' 'Do' 'So' in the solfege scale. This is a reference to the musical theme used in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind to communicate with the aliens which have landed on Earth. The Dark Crystal The Skettis NPC race located in Outland bear a striking resemblance in name, appearance and sound to the Skeksis from this 1982 Jim Henson film. Furthermore, the first boss in Sethekk Halls will sometimes say "Hmmmmmm...It's time to make my move!", which is a direct quote from the scheming Chamberlain Skeksis from the film. Dirty Jobs "Dirty" Michael Crowe is a reference to the host of the TV show "Dirty Jobs", Mike Rowe. Elton John In Area 52, the Experimental Pilot and an Engineering Crewmember have a discussion which contains several references to Elton John's song 'Rocket Man'. For example, the pilot says, 'This isn't the kind of place to raise your kids, it's cold and there'd be no one to raise them.' Excalibur - Sword in the Stone Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early; in Welsh, the sword was called Caledfwlch. The sword in the stone can be found in Nagrand on Zangar Ridge beside the road. Final Fantasy VII On the northern end of Sunstrider Isle in Eversong Woods, you can find two blood elf children named Jane and Nova. This is a reference to Jenova in Final Fantasy VII, who is also known as Sephiroth's "Mother". Forrest Gump In Stormwind, there is a flower shop named Fragrant Flowers just east of the Trade District, on the canal between it and Old Town. The man who runs it is named Bernard Gump. Just beneath his name is the title ; Thus, his full title is "Florist Gump", a pun on the name Forrest Gump. In Auberdine (in Darkshore), there is a fisherman by the name of Gubber Blump. This is a play on Bubba Gump Shrimp. Ghostbusters *In the Mage Quarter in Stormwind there are three mages sitting in a circle having an extended conversation. Eventually one of them will say “wouldn’t that be bad, like crossing the streams bad?”, a reference to the movie "Ghost Busters". *There is also a group of three female humans in robes (the same mages) that walk through the city. At one point one of them says, "But wouldn't that mean crossing the streams? Isn't that really bad?" One of the others replies, "But if we stabilize it with an anchor thread at the appropriate energy crux then it should work." Not exactly direct quotes, but close enough. *Egan's Blaster is a ranged-slot item used in the quest The Restless Souls that starts in Eastern Plaguelands. "Use Egan's Blaster on the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme. When the restless spirits break free from their ghostly shells, use the blaster again - freedom will be theirs!" This is also a reference to the character Dr. Egon Spengler from the film. *One of the soldiers stationed at Chillwind Point complains that his job "definitely isn't worth another five thou-a year!" In the movie "Ghostbusters", Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) says the same thing when his team votes for almost certain death to save the world (while fighting the undead, as it were.) *In the mage-specific quests (Horde) and (Alliance), the player is asked to search an area for ghosts, fight them, and trap them in "containment coffers". These look and act exactly like the trappers in Ghostbusters. *In the hinterlands there is the Altar of Zul which is a reference to the First Ghostbusters movie where the Ghostbusters fought Gozer atop the Altar of Zool. Gone in 60 Seconds The quest in Hellfire Peninsula called "Shizz Work" has you digging through Felboar excrement for a lost set of keys, very much like a scene from Gone in 60 Seconds (the remake with Nicholas Cage), where some of the car thieves are taking a large dog for a walk to get him to "release" some previously devoured Mercedes keys! Highlander On Fray Island in The Barrens there is an NPC named Klannoc MacLeod with the title an obvious play on Connor Mac Leod, the Highlander. He looks very similar to the TV character Duncan MacLeod (a clansman of Connor's), with long black hair, a katana, and the type of clothes Duncan would often wear. Jeopardy Dealer Sadaqat found at Stormspire in Netherstorm. This is from the TV quiz show, Jeopardy. It is a category that has been used for many years on the show and refers to alcohol containing beverages. Kill Bill The Superior quality sword, is a reference to Hattori Hanzo, legendary ninja and sword maker, who plays an important role in Kill Bill Volume 1, where the Bride gets a sword from him with which to enact revenge against her former associates. Also, a gnome rogue called Lefty that can be encountered in Blackrock Depths during the Tier 0.5 arena encounter has a skill called "Five Fat Finger Exploding Heart Technique", which will deal huge amounts of damage if allowed to stack five times. This is in reference to the technique the Bride learns from her ancient master, Pai Mei. Krull At Onyxia's Lair, in the first lava pool you come to on the right side, you can find a floating star shaped glaive and next to it a charred skeleton. A reference to the 80's SciFi-fantasy movie Krull in which the powerful glaive weapon was found in a flowing river of lava in a dragon's cave. LOST (TV Series) At the community site's Draenei Race Information Page, if you hover your cursor to the 2 Draenei, the male Draenei mentions something about the Monster, the Others and calls the female Draenei Kate. Also, 'Kate' the Draenei mentions having a flashback. Lost follows the story of a group of survivors of a plane crash who are stranded on an island filled with mysteries. The Draenei on Azeroth are all survivors of a plane crash (The Exodar in this case). The Exodar crashed on an island as well. Matrix Caretaker Alen, an Argent Dawn NPC in Lights Hope Chapel sometimes says: "I should have taken the translucent pill". One of the boys who are fishing in Stormwind's Canal District sometimes says: "There is no spoon". Asking any Ironforge Guard Directions to an Alchemy Profession trainer has a chance to make them say "Why, oh why, didn't I take the blue potion?" after the directions have been given. Metal Gear In Shadowmoon Valley there's a quest, called , where you use a Bag o' Tricks, which is a simple wooden box, to disguise yourself in order to hear a conversation between Jovaan and Warbringer Razuun. The reference to the Metal Gear's cardboard box is reinforced by the fact that Jovaan asks Warbringer Razuun what's the box for, in the same way the soldiers of the game do when they find the cardboard box somewhere unfitting. And the Burning Legion outpost is a very unfitting place to a box, or anything actually, made of wood. Monty Python and the Holy Grail Gzhun'tt in Sporeggar located on the west side of Zangarmarsh will give you a quest once you have achieved a certain reputation level with Sporeggar and are level 63 or higher. The quest is entitled "Bring Me a Shrubbery!", an evident reference to the Knights-Who-Say-Ni in Monty Python's epic movie. Mortal Kombat The dwarven mortar team in Dun Morogh say "MORTAR COMBAT!" after an explosion, which refers to the game's fight intro. Nintendo Games *In the Draenei starting area, Crash Site, the design on floor of the building is a Pokeball, a reference to the Pokemon craze. *Un'Goro crater is filled with references to old Nintendo games: ** Linken, and the quests he sends players on, are references to the Legend of Zelda series, and its protagonist, Link. Appropriately, the rewards from this quest include Linken's Sword and Linken's Boomerang, both signature weapons from the game. ** The kodo beast, Dadanga, is a reference to the very first Legend of Zelda game. One of the early bosses is a triceratops who is weak against bombs. The old man who gives you hints on how to progress says, "Dodongo dislikes smoke.", a trait shared by Dadanga. ** Larion and Muigin, one dwarf and one human, are an analogue of the characters Mario and Luigi. They are both dressed in overalls of color similar to how Mario and Luigi are dressed in the Super Mario Brothers games. The use of fighting Bloodpetals in their quests refers to Nintendo's original business (dating back to 1889), printing traditional Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda used for a game sometimes known as War of Flowers. Old School During the Horde quest to get 300 First Aid one of the dying soldiers refers to seeing "Blue" which is similar to a Will Ferrell line from the movie. Oz During the Jail Break quest in Blackrock Depths you run across several prisoners named after characters from the TV series Oz. Crest Killer is Chris Keller. Jaz is Jaz Hoyt. Ograbisi is Adebisi. Shill Dinger is Schillinger (interestingly, he appears to be a Scarlet Crusade member while Schillinger is a white supremacist). Finally, Tobias Seecher is Tobias Beecher, a protagonist of sorts in Oz and the only one of these characters you don't kill in the process of the quest. Pink Floyd During the quest "Triage" dying soldiers will make comments as they pass into critical condition and before death. One of the soldiers says "Goodbye all you people, I'm leaving you today... Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye." which is a line from the song 'Goodbye Cruel World' on Pink Floyd's album, 'The Wall'. Also, the Innkeeper at Thrallmar, Hellfire Peninsula, is Named 'Floyd Pinkus'. An obvious reference to the name of the band. Samurai Shodown The names of the characters Haomarush, Genjuros, Khanzo, and Jubei'Thos, and the realms named for them, are based on the characters Haohmaru, Genjuro, Hanzo, and Jubei from the Samurai Shodown fighting game series. Magazine features and photos from Blizzard HQ has shown that the company has (or at least has had) a Samurai Shodown setup in the office. Sanford and Son Dran Droffers and Malton Droffers are orc versions of Fred Sandford and his Son Lamont from the 70's show Sanford and Son. Dran calls his son "You big dummy" and has a love of Ripple just as Fred did. Sinistar The Reliquary of Souls in the Black Temple quotes the Sinistar from the video game of the same name; "Beware - I live." (Another possible reference being the use of "cowards"). The Sinistar also resembles the Reliquary of Souls as both are large detached heads. Sling Blade "Swamp Eye" Jarl in Dustwallow marsh is looking for a blade, a certain blade... "some folks call it a moonsteel broadsword, I call it a swing blade..." is an almost word for word of Billy Bob Thornton's character Karl in Sling Blade, "Some folks call it a Kaiser blade, I call it a sling blade." Snakes On a Plane At Nesingwary's Safari in Nagrand, there is a crashed plane. On that plane, there are snakes. South Park Nesingwary's Safari in Nagrand is occasionally stormed by Talbuks, when this happens Hemet Nesingwary will yell "Watch out! They're coming right for us!" before he opens fire on them. This is a reference to the episode "Vulcano" where the boys are taken out hunting by Stan's uncle. In Stratholme there is a mini boss called Timmy The Cruel and yells "TIMMY!!" A reference to the character Timmy. Starship Troopers (film) In Blade's Edge Mountains at Toshley's Station there is an female gnome called Dizzy Dina, which is a reference to one of the female characters in the movie. Also when you speak with Dizzy Dina she'll talk about Razak's Roughriders, which is a reference to "Rasczak's Roughnecks". The attacks by the ravagers on Toshley's Station are a reference to the bug attack of the base on Planet P in the movie. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine In The Exodar, There is a small group of Draenei that congregate together. Their names, Curzon, Tobin, et al, are references to the past lives of the character Dax from ST:DS9 In Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains there is a Gnome called Smiles O'Byron . This is a reference to Chief Miles O'Brian who was known as 'Smiley' in the Alternate Universe Star Trek: Enterprise In Area 52 there is a character named Chief Engineer Trep. He wears a blue shirt similar to his TV counterpart, Chief Engineer Trip. Star Trek: The Next Generation In Gadgetzan, the chief engineer is named Jhordy Lapforge , honoring the ST:TNG chief engineer Geordi LaForge. Star Wars: Episode One: Phantom Menace If one inspects the racers in the Shimmering Flats, there is a distinct resemblance to the podracers piloted by Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba. Follow the racers around the track to find skidmarks leading away, towards a cliff face. The racer similar to Sebulba's can be found about halfway up, crashed and swinging on the side of the cliff. The race announcer, a 2-headed ogre named Fobeed, is also a reference to the race announcer in TPM, a 2-headed creature named FodesinBeed (aka Fode & Beed). Star Wars: A New Hope Upon death, a Priest becomes the Spirit of Redemption, a spell in which the priest can heal in a 15 second time span before actually dying. The spell's description reads "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine", a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi when he tells Darth Vader "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine" moments before Vader kills him. On the first crossing to Bloodmyst Isle from Azuremyst Isle, you will find a small camp by the name "Kessel's Crossing." Kessel himself will give you a quest called The Kessel Run, which he requires you complete in under fifteen minutes in reference to Han Solo's completion of the Kessel Run as mentioned in A New Hope "in under twelve parsecs." After completing this quest, a character later will make reference to "having completed the Kessel Run in under fifteen minutes. The elite quest mob Banthar in Nagrand may be a reference to the Banthas from Tatooine from the first star wars movie, based on the similarities of the name and appearance. Toshley's station is a reference to Luke Skywalker's line "But I was going to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters!" Conveniently there is a quest there called: The Halaa Blade Merchants in Halaa in Nagrand are Coreiel when Halaa is Horde controlled and Aldraan when Alliance controlled. These are references to Princess Leia's homeworld of Alderaan and Han Solo's homeworld of Corellia. The Blade's Edge Mountains NPC R-3DO is obviously a reference to the two droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. When spoken to, it also states that it knows "MORE THAN 2 LANGUAGES", a reference to C-3PO's repeated phrase of "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication". Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In Blood Watch on Bloodmyst Isle the Flight master's name is Laando. This might be a reference to Lando Calrissian, the character from which Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi In the Priest specific quest text for , Ogtinc or Greta Mosshoof (depending on your faction) will inform you that, "The green drake Morphaz is known to be immune to all forms of poison and disease -- many druids died to bring us this information." This is a reference to the quote made by Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: "Many Bothans died to bring us this information." Also, the quest giver named Princess Moira, who has been enslaved by Thaurissan in Blackrock Depths, wears slave clothes and hair similar to that of Princess Leia when she has been enslaved by Jabba the Hutt. Stargate SG-1 In the Champion's Hall, there are several characters named after members of SG-1. Guard Hammon (General Hammond), Captain O'Neal (Captain O'Neill) Lieutanent Karter (Samantha Carter). Stargate Atlantis There are various murloc tribes around Azeroth, some which include mobs with the name Puddlejumper, eg Bluegill Puddlejumper or Mirefin Puddlejumper. This may be a reference to the fictional Atlantian spacecraft in the Stargate Atlantis series known as the "Puddlejumper". Terminator 2: Judgment Day * The hut to the left of the dock coming inland to Ratchet has a small table in it. The table has a very primitive and clunky looking robotic hand in a glass case. This is an obvious reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day when the hand from the original The Terminator is displayed throughout the movie. * In addition, Ossirian the Unscarred yells "You are terminated!" every time he kills a player who has aggro. * There is a skeletal hand lying near a river of lava in Lower Blackrock Spire, which is a reference to one of the final scenes of the movie. * Also, the Felguard Warlock pet performs Terminator quotes when summoned, or dismissed. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai In The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984), scientists develop a way for a rocket car to pass through solid matter (a mountain). In Thousand Needles not far from the raceway, near the path to Tanaris, you can see skid marks that lead into the side of the mountain. In Tanaris, on the opposite side of the mountain just west of Gadgetzan, the skid marks continue and lead to the crashed wreckage of a rocket car. In the movie, this scene took place on salt flats exactly like Shimmering Flats. The Five Deadly Venoms * In Stormwind there is a location called "The Five Deadly Venoms", which references the English release name of a Chinese action movie, "Wu Du". It can be found in Old Town. The Goonies (film) In the movie, a group of kids enter an abandoned house, run through a cave full of traps, and reach a lagoon with a pirate ship. This is very similar to the Deadmines instance. The Lost Vikings The three lost dwarves in Uldaman have the names of that of the Lost Vikings (except that Baleog has been changed to Baelog), another game developed by Blizzard when that company used the name Silicon & Synapse. They also drop various items that resembles their characters in the game such as Olaf's All Purpose Shield. The fact that the opening of Ironaya's chamber requires the Shaft of Tsol and Amulet of Gni'kiv, that have the name of "Lost Viking" spelled backwards. The Princess Bride (film) Upon touching the globe that completes the attunement quest for Blackwing Lair, adventurers are greeted with quest completion text that reads "Have fun storming the castle!". This a quote of Billy Crystal's character Miracle Max. In UBRS, during the Rend event, adventurers successfully defeating waves of enemies are treated to Nefarian crying "Inconceivable!" This is a repeated quote of Wallace Shawn's character, Vizzini, the Sicilian mastermind. One of the flirt voice emotes for the orc male is "This is true love, it doesn't happen every day". This is a quote from the Princess Bride, Westley says it to Buttercup at the start of the movie. In Southshore, the stable boy is called "Wesley", referencing the book and movie. Appropriately, he also has blond hair and carries a rapier. In the Eastern Plaguelands, the priest NPC for T3 gear is Father Inigo Montoy. The Simpsons Houndmaster Loksey utters the line "Release the Hounds!" when aggro'd. This is a quote from the long running Simpsons series, where Mr.Burns says this to get unwanted intruders off his lavish property. Three's Company In the Lower City area of Shattrath City, there is an NPC chef named Jack Trapper. John Ritter's character in the 70's sitcom was Jack Tripper, a chef living with 2 women. Total Recall When entering Shattrath City one of the vagrant beggers will say "C'mon spare some change, I've got five kids to feed". This is a quote from the movie Total Recall. Trading Places In Stormwind near the Ah there is a beggar named Topper McNabb that at some point says: "Spare some change for a poor blind man?... What do you mean I'm not blind?... I'M NOT BLIND! I CAN SEE! IT'S A MIRACLE!!" an almost direct quote from Eddie Murpheys character impersonating a blind vietnam vet in a small wheeled box, who is caught by the police for a fraud. Wonder Woman Inside Shadow Hold (northern Jaedenar, in Felwood) there is a captured Night Elf, Arko'narin, who gives an escort quest. You escort her to her equipment. When she opens the chest with her armor, she spins quickly and reappears in armor. She then says "All I need now is a golden lasso". Both the spinning and the lasso are references to the Wonder Woman TV series. Worms There is an engineering item engineers can make that is titled Explosive Sheep, an item that has occurred in the worms franchise. In World of Warcraft, it follows you around for a few minutes, until it either finds an enemy, or the few minutes are up. In Worms, you get to control the sheep and crash it into an enemy. See also Exploding sheep on Wikipedia. Bio-Dome In Eco-Dome Mid-realm, in Netherstorm, there is a goblin named Shauley Pore. An obvious reference to Pauley Shore and his 1996 movie Bio-Dome. 6 Million Dollar Man In the Badlands, Servo says "We can make it better, stronger, faster. We have the technology. We have the magic." A close quote from the TV show, Six Million Dollar Man. Servo also says things like "I am versed in over four languages." Diablo II The set of swords that Rend Blackhand drops called Dal'Rend's Arms is a reference to the Diablo II set which was called Bul'Kathos' Children in which the 2 swords were called Bul'Kathos' Tribal Guardian and Bul'Kathos' Sacred Charge, Simlar to Dal'Rend's Tribal Guardian and Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge. At least 3 other items Wirt's Third Leg, Cow Kings Hide and Staff of Jordan reference Diablo II as well. Wirt is a reoccuring character from both Diablo and Diablo II, his Leg being one of the items needed to access the hidden Cow Level, where the main boss, the Cow King, ruled. The Staff of Jordan is a reference to the Stone of Jordan, a highly regarded ring from Diablo II. There's a saying in the loading tip screen that says "There is no cow level", another obvious reference. Action Jaxon In the Stormspire of Netherstorm, there is a NPC known as Action Jaxon. Action Jackson is a 1988 action film, starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone, directed by Craig R. Baxley. Action Jackson was Mego's attempt to tap into the GI-Joe toy market in the early 70's. MadTV parody of Michael Jackson in Action Jackson. Celebrities Yuen Woo-Ping Woo Ping, the weapons master in Stormwind, is an obvious direct reference to Yuen Woo-ping, who directed many Hong Kong martial arts films, and was martial arts choreographer for several Western movies including the Matrix trilogy and the Kill Bill films. It could also be a play on the term "whooping", meaning you were thoroughly beaten with no chance to retaliate. Paris Hilton Haris Pilton and Tinkerbell, bar denizens in Lower City area of Shattrath City, are a Blood Elf version of Paris Hilton and her pampered pup. Oprah Winfrey The name of Caregiver Ophera Windfury at the Temple of Telhamat, when spoken quickly, closely ressembles the name of famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Full Metal Jacket * The item "Booterang" (from the Netherwing dailies-Honored-) appears to contain a reference to the movie "Full Metal Jacket". The text written in yellow is: "This is your booterang. There are many like it but this one is yours." And in Full Metal Jacket: "This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine." Category:Blizzard Entertainment Category:Lore In-Jokes and References